The present invention relates to cigarettes and other such types of smoking articles, and in particular to those cigarettes which deliver good taste and smoking satisfaction while delivering relatively low levels of FTC "tar".
Cigarettes are popular smoking articles which have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge or roll of tobacco (i e., in cut filler form) surrounded by a wrapper such as paper thereby forming a tobacco rod. Currently, popular cigarettes include blends of tobacco materials, the majority of the blends having nicotine contents in the range from about 1.2 percent to about 2.25 percent, more frequently from about 1.4 percent to about 2 percent, and most frequently from about 1.6 percent to about 1.8 percent, based on the dry weight of the tobacco materials. It has become desirable to manufacture cigarettes having cylindrical filters aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, filters are manufactured from fibrous materials such as cellulose acetate and are attached to the tobacco rod using a circumscribing tipping material.
Popular cigarettes classified as "full flavor" cigarettes deliver a desirable tobacco taste, flavor and satisfaction to the smoker. Typically, the "full flavor" cigarettes deliver about 14 mg or more of FTC "tar" per cigarette. A second classification of popular cigarettes is the "full flavor low tar" classification. Typically, the "full flavor low tar" cigarettes deliver from about 8 to about 14 mg of FTC "tar" per cigarette, as well as lower levels of FTC nicotine as compared to "full flavor" cigarettes. A third classification of popular cigarettes is the "ultra low tar" classification. Such "ultra low tar" cigarettes deliver still lower levels of FTC "tar" and nicotine. Typically, the "ultra low tar" cigarettes deliver less than about 7 mg of FTC "tar" per cigarette. The "full flavor low tar" and "ultra low tar" cigarettes conventionally have air dilution means such as laser perforations provided in the periphery of the mouthend region thereof, or have filter elements highly efficient for the removal of "tar" and nicotine from mainstream smoke.
In general, the perceived taste or strength of the cigarettes classified as having lower levels of "tar" and nicotine are progressively less than that of the cigarettes which are classified as approaching the characteristics of the "full flavor" cigarettes. It has been proposed to add certain tobacco extracts to the cut filler of lower "tar" cigarettes to enhance the taste, strength and satisfaction of such cigarettes. However, such addition generally yields mainstream smoke which may be perceived as harsh or irritating to the mouth, nose and throat of the user.
Additionally, it is possible to employ tobaccos having a naturally high nicotine content as cut filler to enhance the tobacco taste, strength and satisfaction of such cigarettes. However, cigarettes having high nicotine contents (e.g., which include tobacco blends having natural nicotine contents above about 2.25 weight percent) generally have the propensity to yield unpalatable mainstream smoke which may be perceived as harsh or irritating to the mouth, nose and throat of the user.
It would be desirable to provide a cigarette such as an "ultra low tar" cigarette which is capable of delivering a good tobacco taste, strength and smoking satisfaction characteristic of a "full flavor low tar" cigarette while being perceived as palatable but not as overly harsh or irritating. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a cigarette such as a "full flavor low tar" cigarette which is capable of delivering a good tobacco taste, strength and smoking satisfaction characteristic of a "full flavor" cigarette while being perceived as palatable but not as overly harsh or irritating.